Folding heavy-lift unmanned aerial vehicle frame

ABSTRACT

A heavy-lift UAV frame includes a central frame portion having a symmetrical shape and forming a pocket area for receiving an avionics package. Top and bottom plates are secured to the central frame portion and include four corner members that extend diagonally outward therefrom. A plurality of boom arms are pivotally connected to the corner members and transition between an extended position for flight and a retracted position for storage and transport. Each boom arm includes a complementary dimension to one side of the central frame portion and is arranged parallel thereto when in the retracted position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No.62/318,918 filed on Apr. 6, 2016, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to aerial vehicles, and moreparticularly to a folding frame for a heavy-lift UAV.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a heavier-than-air flying machinethat does not carry a human operator. UAV's are utilized for manydifferent military and civilian applications such as reconnaissance,surveillance, area mapping, and/or photography, for example.

Traditionally, the use and implementation of hobby grade verticaltakeoff and landing UAV's was severely limited by the relatively lowlifting capacity of the same. However, recent advancements have seen theintroduction of small size UAV engines which can carry payloadsexceeding 30-50 pounds each, and for prolonged periods of time. As such,UAV's are now being contemplated for use in new industries, and forperforming tasks never before possible. Several examples includeequipping a heavy-lift UAV with an agricultural spraying module, LIDARremote sensing equipment, or a payload basket for transporting goodsfrom one location to another.

Although such applications are promising, the current design andconstruction of UAV frames is not conducive for heavy-lift applications.This is because traditional UAV frames are constructed from anelongated, generally rectangular main body onto which the payload issecured. A plurality of elongated fixed booms having an engine along thedistal ends are secured onto each corner of the main body and extenddiagonally outward therefrom. The length of the elongated booms dependson the lifting capacity of the UAV, but typical designs call for a boomlength that is approximately twice as long as the length of the mainbody itself.

Unfortunately, when such UAV frames are paired with heavy payloads,i.e., payloads that require engine thrust levels at or above 40%, theselong booms have a tendency to vibrate during flight. These vibrationsoften increase over time, and can affect the ability for the device tobe stable in flight. Moreover, these vibrations combined with thenon-symmetrical shape of the main body make it difficult to securepayload at the center of mass of the device. Such weight managementissues therefore result in less than optimal flight characteristics, andhave been the cause of several crashes. Finally, owing to the largefixed shape of such vehicles, it is exceedingly difficult to storeand/or transport the same without utilizing specialized equipment orfacilities. In many instances, users are forced to disassemble thevehicles for storage and transport.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a heavy lift UAV framewhich can be mated with any type of avionics and/or payload package, andthat does not suffer from the drawbacks described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a heavy-lift UAV frame. Oneembodiment of the present invention can include a central frame portionhaving a symmetrical shape and forming a pocket area for receiving anavionics package. A top and bottom plate can be secured to the centralframe portion and can include four corner members extending diagonallyoutward therefrom.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a plurality ofboom arms that are connected to each of the corner members. Each of theboom arms can be pivotally connected to the corner members and cantransition between an extended position for flight and a retractedposition for storage and transport. Each boom can preferably include acomplementary dimension to one side of the central frame portion so asto be arranged parallel thereto when in the retracted position.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not toidentify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should beappreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the top side of the central frameportion that is useful for understanding the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the bottom side of the central frameportion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a boom arm of the heavy-lift UAV frame,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A is an exploded parts view of the heavy-lift UAV frame, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the heavy-lift UAV frame in theretracted position, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the heavy-lift UAV frame in theextended position, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thedescription in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailedembodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, itis to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplaryof the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are notintended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandabledescription of the invention.

Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the inventionor elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only thosereference numerals are shown in the individual figures which arenecessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes ofthis description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,”“vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to theinvention as oriented in FIG. 1.

As described throughout this document, the term “complementarydimension,” shall be used to describe a situation wherein an objectincludes a size that is identical to, or substantially identical to thesize of another component, in terms of length, and/or width, and/orheight, for example.

As described herein, the term “removably secured,” “removably engaged”and derivatives thereof shall be used to describe a situation whereintwo or more objects are joined together in a non-permanent manner so asto allow the same objects to be repeatedly joined and separated. Thiscan be accomplished through the use of any number of commerciallyavailable connectors such as opposing strips of hook and loop material(i.e. Velcro®), magnetic elements, and compression fittings such ashooks, snaps and buttons, for example.

As described herein, the term “pivotally connected,” “rotatably secured”and all derivatives shall be used interchangeably to describe asituation wherein two or more objects are joined together in a mannerthat allows one or both of the objects to pivot and/or rotate about orin relation to the other object along one or more axes. Severalnonlimiting examples include traditional single hinge mechanisms,pivoting couplers and/or swivel flanges, for example. Alternatively, orin conjunction with the above noted devices, the objects can berotatably connected via a dual axis hinge capable of providing bothrotational movement (e.g., yaw) and pivotal movement (e.g., along oneplane/linear). One suitable dual axis hinge is described in U.S. Pat.No. 7,979,960, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIGS. 1A-3C illustrate one embodiment of heavy lift UAV frame 10 that isuseful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Asshown, the device 10 can include, essentially a main body 11 having aplurality of booms 21 that are pivotally secured thereon.

As shown best in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the main body 11 can include agenerally square shaped central body portion 12 for receiving andstoring any type of avionics. As such, the central body portion caninclude a recessed bottom wall 12 a and a plurality of raised side walls12 b, 12 c, 12 d, and 12 e. By encircling the delicate avionics withinthe rigid frame members of the central body portion 12, the main body 11advantageously forms a pocket area that can protect and shelter thedelicate components from being directly impacted by another object inthe event of a crash.

The main body can also include a top plate 13 having edges 13 b, 13 c,13 d and 13 e, and a bottom plate 14 having edges 14 b, 14 c, 14 d and14 e. Top and bottom edges 13 b-13 e and 14 b-14 e being arranged so asto extend outward from the central walls 12 b-12 e, respectively. Asshown, each of the top and bottom plates can also include corner members15 and 16, respectively, which extend diagonally outward from thecentral portion 12. The distal ends of the top and bottom corner memberscan include apertures 15 a and 16 a, respectively, that are alignedvertically so as to receive the below described boom arm 20.Additionally, each of the top corner members 15 can further include alatching mechanism 17, such as the illustrated draw latches, forexample, along the top surface thereof.

In the preferred embodiment, the main body 11 can be constructed from alightweight and sturdy material such as aluminum, for example, howeverother construction materials such as plastic, carbon fiber and otherforms of composite materials are also contemplated. The central bodyportion 12, the top plate 13 and the bottom plate 14 can be constructedfrom identical or different materials and can be secured together in anynumber of commercially known manners.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a boom arm 20 which can bepivotally secured onto each corner of the main body. As shown, the boomcan include an arm member 21 that is preferably in the shape of a hollowsquare tube, having a first end 21 a, a second end 21 b a top surface 21c a bottom surface 21 d and a pair of side surfaces 21 e and 21 f. Thesecond end of the boom arm 21 b can function receive and securelyposition a pair of electric engines 5 along both the top and bottomsurfaces thereof. When such engines are installed, the engine controlcables (not illustrated) can be routed through the hollow portion of thearm for connection to an avionics package located on the main body 11.

In one embodiment, the first end of the boom arm 21 a can include a pairof washers 23 along the top and bottom surfaces and an aperture 22 canextend through each of the washers and the boom arm. Likewise, a raisedbracket member 24 can be positioned along the top surface of the boomarm 21 c at a location adjacent to the washer. The bracket can work inconjunction with the above described latch 18 in order to secure andlock the boom in the extended position when the device is in use.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the heavy-lift UAV frame 10 can include fourboom arms 20 which can be pivotally secured onto the corner of the mainbody. As shown best in FIG. 3A, the first end of each boom arm 21 a canbe positioned between the corner members 15 and 16 (See arrow a) untilthe apertures 23, 15 a and 16 a are aligned vertically. At this time, alocking pin 30 or other such member can be inserted (See arrow b)through the aligned apertures so as to prevent inadvertent separation ofthe boom arm from the frame. When so positioned, each boom arm can pivotbetween a fully extended position and a fully retracted position.

As shown in FIG. 3B, each boom arm 20 can include a length (e.g.,distance between the first end 21 a and the second end 21 b) that iscomplementary to the length of one side of the central body walls 12b-12 e and/or edges 13 b-13 e and 14 b-14 e. This dimension, combinedwith the symmetrical square shape of the central body portion,advantageously allows the assembled frame 10 to transition to a fullyretracted position, wherein each boom arm 20 can be pivoted until it islocated parallel with one side of the central body portion 12 b-12 eand/or edges 13 b-13 e and 14 b-14 e, respectively. When so positioned,the corner members 15 and 16 will be the outermost components of theframe. Such a design advantageously allows the sturdy corner members toprotect the boom arms against impacts with foreign objects when theframe member is retracted for storage and/or transport.

FIG. 3C illustrates one embodiment of the frame 10 in the fully extendedposition, wherein each of the boom arms are extending outward from thecorner of the main body and are locked in place by the latch 18 andbracket 24. As each of the boom arms 20 includes a length that iscomplementary to the length of each of the side walls of the centralbody portion 12, the frame remains completely symmetrical from each sidewhen fully extended. Such a feature eliminates much of the vibrationsthat are experienced by non-symmetrical devices as the boom arms 20maintain each engine 5 at a uniform distance from each other and thepayload/avionics being carried by the central portion of the frame 12.

Although dimensions are not critical, in the preferred embodiment, themain body 11 can preferably include a diagonal length between eachcorner section of approximately 30 inches. Likewise, each boom 20 canpreferably include a length of approximately 24 inches from end to end.Such dimensions being suitable for allowing each boom to support twoengines having 32 inch propellers giving the frame a lifting capacity ofover 1,000 pounds. Of course, other sizes are also contemplated.

As described herein, one or more elements of the heavy-lift UAV frame 10can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment meanssuch as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds,among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have beendescribed as including separate individual elements, the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skillin the art will recognize that one or more individually identifiedelements may be formed together as one or more continuous elements,either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, ormolding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled ormachined with the aforementioned components forming identifiablesections thereof.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the presentinvention, the same should be apparent from the above description.Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage andoperation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the terms “consisting”shall be used to describe only those components identified. In eachinstance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherentlyconsist of each of those identified elements as well.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A UAV frame, comprising: asymmetrical-shaped central body portion, a top plate that is securedalong a top portion of the central body portion, wherein the top platecomprises a plurality of top corner members extending diagonally outwardfrom the central body portion; a bottom plate that is secured along abottom portion of the central body portion, wherein the bottom platecomprises a plurality of bottom corner members extending diagonallyoutward from the central body portion; and a plurality of elongated boomarms, each of said boom arms including a first end that is pivotallyconnected to one of the plurality of top corner members along a topsurface, and one of the plurality of bottom corner members along abottom surface, wherein each of the plurality of boom arms areconfigured to pivot between a retracted position and an extendedposition, wherein the plurality of top corner members and the pluralityof bottom corner members are outermost components of the frame when eachof the plurality of boom arms are in the retracted position.
 2. Theframe of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of top corner membersfurther includes a latching mechanism that is disposed along a distalend thereof.
 3. The frame of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality ofelongated boom arms further includes a bracket that is disposed alongthe top surface at a location adjacent to the first end, said bracketand latching mechanisms being configured to be removably engaged so asto lock the frame into the extended position.
 4. The frame of claim 1,wherein the symmetrical-shaped central body portion includes a squareshape having a bottom wall and four side walls, each of said side wallsincluding identical dimensions.
 5. The frame of claim 4, wherein each ofthe plurality of boom arms includes a dimension that is complementary toa dimension of one of the four side walls of the central body portion,and each of the plurality of boom arms are positioned parallel to one ofthe four side walls of the central body portion when the frame is in theretracted position.
 6. The frame of claim 4, wherein the bottom wall ispositioned along a bottom edge of each of the side walls forming apocket area for receiving avionics.
 7. The frame of claim 6, wherein theplurality of top and bottom corner members consist of: four pairs of topand bottom corner members, each pair having a single top corner memberand a single bottom corner member that are positioned parallel to theother.
 8. The frame of claim 7, wherein the plurality of boom armsconsists of: four identical boom arms, each including a dimension thatis complementary to a dimension of one of the four side walls of thecentral body portion, and being positioned parallel to one of the fourside walls of the central body portion when the frame is in theretracted position.
 9. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality oftop corner members and the plurality of bottom corner members areoutermost components from the center of the frame when each of theplurality of boom arms are in the retracted position.
 10. A UAV frame,comprising: a symmetrical-shaped central body portion, a top plate thatis secured along a top portion of the central body portion, wherein thetop plate comprises a plurality of top corner members extendingdiagonally outward from the central body portion; a bottom plate that issecured along a bottom portion of the central body portion, wherein thebottom plate comprises a plurality of bottom corner members extendingdiagonally outward from the central body portion; and a plurality ofelongated boom arms, each of said boom arms including a first end thatis pivotally connected to one of the plurality of top corner membersalong a top surface, and one of the plurality of bottom corner membersalong a bottom surface, wherein each of the plurality of boom arms areconfigured to pivot between a retracted position and an extendedposition; wherein two adjacent top corner members and two adjacentbottom corner members are positioned to protect at least one boom armagainst impact when the at least one boom arm is in the retractedposition.